Oct 20, 2006 13:19
I would go as far as to say that Lupe Fiasco's debut LP, "Food and Liquor" is easily one of the best albums released this year. As far as rap goes, I think you'd need to go back as far as "Illmatic" to find an album this cohesive. The intelligent rap genre, at least in my experience, has always been a bit of a pariah on the hip hop scene. I love Aesop, Lif, and all that stuff, but I've never seen lyrics like these coupled with such glossy and well constructed beats. Jay-Z's influence is certainly heard, as he obviously produced the album, but the beat construction on tracks like "I Gotcha" and "Sunshine" sounds more like Dizzee Rascal without the grimey bass.
So seriously, listen to it, I've never seen this amalgmation of rap before on a record. And also, fuck Pitchfork's 7.9, this is Kanye meets Aesop, and catchier than either of them.